NFL Schedule Leaks 2020: Piecing Together Slate As It Trickles Out
Will the NFL season begin on time this fall? No one knows that for sure. What we do know, though, is the NFL operating under the assumption it will, and thus, will release its regular-season schedule Thursday night.
The NFL will allow teams to start formally releasing their slates of games Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. ET ahead of a three-hour made-for-TV bonanza that will go way in-depth previewing games that are six months away. And that’s assuming those games are even played, as the COVID-19 pandemic could affect football in the way it’s already messed with just about every other sport on the planet.
But as the league proved with the draft, the show must go on, so we’ll have a schedule by the end of the night. In fact, we might have a schedule long before then, as leaks have become increasingly prevalent. If you can’t wait for the official release, we’ll be following all of the supposed leaks right here.
3:20 p.m.: The leak well has dried up a little over the last couple of hours, but here’s some Miami Dolphins info:
NFL schedule leak: The #Dolphins have a TNF game vs. the #Jaguars in Week 3, per @ArmandoSalguero. That game is in Jacksonville.
— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) May 7, 2020
1:58 p.m.: A couple of must-see games here.
Saints @ Buccaneers week 9, 49ers @ Saints week 10 per SaintsWire
— NFL Schedule Leaks (@LeaksNfl) May 7, 2020
1:50 p.m.: Sounds like the Raiders will open at Carolina, if we’re to believe this report from Vic Tarfur. That also means there’s really no rhyme or reason to the Week 1 games.
And #Raiders might open at Carolina. That’s it, no more hints. https://t.co/02MNjHxA6Y
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) May 7, 2020
1:15 p.m.: Here’s some information on the Packers’ 2020 schedule.
#Lions game confirmed Week 2. Also confirmed:
11/29: #Bears at Lambeau (Sunday night)
12/6: #Eagles at Lambeau 12/19 or 20 #Panthers at Lambeau.— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) May 7, 2020
1:08 p.m.: Plenty of loose lips in Buffalo, apparently, as the Bills’ schedule is coming together quickly, as we’re adding a couple of divisional games to the board.
Per source, the #Bills home opener will take place on 9/13 against the NY Jets. The Bills will also play the Patriots at home on 11/1 and Dolphins at home on 1/3.
— Bradley Gelber (@BradleyGelber) May 7, 2020
1:03 p.m.: Another Week 1 divisional game, this one in the NFC East.
Redskins will open the season at home against the Eagles, per source. NFC East battle right out of the gate in Week 1.
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) May 7, 2020
1 p.m.: More on the Saints’ schedule here:
Two Saints games I've been able to confirm via sources:
• Week 2: At Raiders on MNF
• Christmas Day vs. Vikings in Superdome— Jeff Duncan (@JeffDuncan_) May 7, 2020
12:40 p.m.: It looks like we’re going to get plenty of divisional games to open the season. In addition to what we’ve seen regarding Week 1 games, the Packers reportedly will be at home against an NFC North foe in Week 2.
The #NFL is not matching NFC vs. AFC only the first four weeks of the season, an NFL source said. #Packers will have an NFC North game Week 2 in Green Bay.
— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) May 7, 2020
12:35 p.m.: Here’s a good one. According to Saints reporter Nick Underhill, Tom Brady’s first game as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer will come against Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. That will be a late-afternoon 4:25 p.m. ET start.
Source: Saints to open season against Bucs, and some other highlights from the 2020 schedule https://t.co/Dc0arCpQdV via @NOdotFootball
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) May 7, 2020
12:28 p.m.: It’s looking more and more like the initial report about early-season interconference games was incorrect. The latest, from the New York Daily News’ Manish Mehta, has the Jets opening the season on the road in Buffalo.
It’s just speculating, but maybe the NFL is putting divisional games early in the slate, and if they’re played on time, great. But if the league can’t start the season on time, maybe the early-season divisional games become late-season divisional games. We’ll see.
NFL schedule leak: The #Jets are scheduled to open up their season in Buffalo vs. the #Bills, per @MMehtaNYDN. 1:00 EST game.
— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) May 7, 2020
11:10 a.m.: Here’s a quick update on the Denver Broncos, with Denver once again opening the season in the late “Monday Night Football” game. Also noted here is a trip to Vegas to play the Raiders in November.
According to the schedule I have in front of me, the Broncos open the season at home on the second game of MNF.
Again, nothing official until it's official. Not believing anything until the release tonight. https://t.co/hmRjo8hzrQ
— Vic Lombardi (@VicLombardi) May 7, 2020
11 a.m.: So, someone is wrong — either John Clayton or Chicago radio host Danny Parkins, who tweeted this about the Bears’ reported schedule leaks:
NFL SCHEDULE LEAKS #Bears
Week 1: at Lions
Week 5: Brady and Bucs at home
Week 7: MNF at Rams
Week 10: MNF v Vikings
SNF after Thanksgiving at GB
Week 17: home v Green Bay— Danny Parkins (@DannyParkins) May 7, 2020
As noted earlier and Wednesday, the original reported thinking was teams would open with interconference games (AFC vs. NFC) to begin the season. Theoretically, that would allow those games to be completely wiped out, if the NFL ran into coronavirus-related problems. If Parkins is correct, however, that’s a bunch of malarkey, as he’s hearing the Bears are opening with a Week 1 game against division rival Detroit.
8:45 a.m. ET: Here’s all we know at the moment:
.@JohnClaytonNFL tells @937theFan that the NFL schedule will be NFC vs AFC for the 1st 4 weeks of the season. Steelers play the NFC East. So 1st 4 games would be Cowboys, Eagles, Redskins, and Giants.
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) May 6, 2020
We’ll update as we know more.